"Once we're inside, don't wander off. And don't cause any trouble for us later."
Gloria Rong gave Evan Lin a reminder, then led the group forward.
Ray Lei originally wanted to walk with Evan, since now that they were at Illustrious Gate, he was genuinely worried this kid might chicken out and bolt.
If Evan really ran off, it wouldn’t be good news for Ray Lei.
But Ray Lei got swept up by Barry Shen and the other second-generation heirs, their enthusiasm so overwhelming that Ray couldn’t break away. So he just walked in front, glancing back every few steps to make sure Evan was still following, which gradually put his mind at ease.
"See those cracks in the building at Illustrious Gate’s entrance?"
"Those cracks, rumor has it, were punched out by the Teenage King of the Ring himself that night!"
"Everyone knows the iron cage under Illustrious Gate’s ring is connected to the whole building, right? Normally, nobody could even budge that cage, but that Teenage King—let me tell you, he was insanely fierce!"
Just as Gloria’s group reached the entrance, they saw a man in a white shirt gesticulating wildly, his face flushed with excitement.
Getting closer, Gloria’s group couldn’t help but overhear a few lines.
Most of what they were talking about was the Teenage King of the Ring’s legendary feats from that night.
The guy talking had obviously been in the stands that night and witnessed the fight firsthand—maybe he’d even made a killing by betting on the upset.
"So if the Teenage King of the Ring is really that strong, could he actually take on Master Lin of Seacrest?" someone asked, unable to resist jumping in.
People nearby all turned to look at him, clearly hoping for an answer.
"Come on, obviously he’s no match for Master Lin of Seacrest! Otherwise, why has Master Lin been waiting here for days while the Teenage King never shows up? Isn’t it because he’s scared?"
Someone else chimed in loudly, clearly backing Master Lin of Seacrest.
"I actually think the Teenage King of the Ring might really be able to beat Master Lin of Seacrest."
The man in the white shirt waved his hand, shooting a dissatisfied look at the guy who’d just backed Master Lin: "You weren’t there that night—you didn’t see the Teenage King in action. If you ask me, he didn’t even go all out when he beat Dylan Hu!"
"Dylan Hu wasn’t even worthy of making him go all out!"
The white-shirted man’s words drew a wave of jeers from the crowd, making him anxious, but he couldn’t explain why the Teenage King never showed up to face Master Lin.
"Why won’t you guys believe me!"
Everyone just laughed at the white-shirted man’s reaction, not taking him seriously at all.
Suddenly, someone noticed that the white-shirted man, who’d been anxious just a moment ago, froze in place as if hit by a petrification spell.
His eyes widened, staring fixedly toward the edge of the crowd. Even the words he’d been about to say in defense of the Teenage King seemed to get stuck in his throat.
"What’s wrong?"
"Hey, why’d you stop? Tell us more about the Teenage King of the Ring!"
A few people urged him on, wanting to hear more.
Everyone was just treating it like a story anyway. With the fight not started yet, none of them had a real shot at seeing Master Lin of Seacrest, so they were just killing time.
"Th-that... that guy!"
The white-shirted man’s voice trembled—he’d just caught a glimpse, and it felt like he’d seen the Teenage King of the Ring’s face!
A few days ago, when Evan Lin walked from the stands to the ring, the white-shirted man happened to be sitting right by the aisle—he’d watched the Teenage King of the Ring pass by up close.
The lighting had been dim, but he’d managed to catch a glimpse of the Teenage King’s facial features.
And just now, he was pretty sure he’d seen the teenage fighter appear again!
"Who? Don’t tell me you’re just out of arguments and lost your mind?"
Someone followed his gaze, but with so many people around, there was no way to spot anyone special.
"Don’t tell me you saw the Teenage King of the Ring and got scared—ha!"
"The Teenage King probably got so spooked by Master Lin of Seacrest that he’s hiding somewhere. He hasn’t shown up in days—I bet he’s already slipped out of Beijing!"
The crowd chirped away, and when the white-shirted man fell silent, they quickly lost interest and wandered off.
"The Teenage King of the Ring sounds pretty capable, actually."
A girl walking next to Gloria Rong tilted her head and said, "If Master Lin of Seacrest can’t be recruited, maybe we should try ‘collecting’ the Teenage King instead?"
The girl’s eyes sparkled.
But the wording she used was pretty deliberate.
When she talked about Master Lin of Seacrest, she said ‘invite’—but when it came to the Teenage King of the Ring, she said ‘collect.’
In their eyes, there was no way the Teenage King could be more valuable than Master Lin of Seacrest.
That was simply impossible.
"Hey, I actually think that’s not a bad idea."
Barry Shen spoke up, his cheeks twitching as his eyes turned into slits from laughter: "But the real headache is still Master Lin of Seacrest."
"That Teenage King didn’t know his place and beat Master Lin’s disciple. If he actually shows up, it’s not even certain he’ll make it out alive from Master Lin’s hands."
"The real issue is, if you offend a Pointing-to-Mystery Realm grandmaster like Master Lin of Seacrest for the sake of some teenage fighter, it’s absolutely not worth it—not worth it at all."
Barry Shen shook his head. He had some influence in their circle, so his words quickly got echoed by the crowd.
"I think so too."
Ray Lei nodded, and as soon as he spoke, a bunch of people turned to look at him.
"Brother Ray, you’ve just interacted with Master Lin of Seacrest, so you probably know him pretty well. Care to enlighten us?" Barry Shen acted even chummier with Ray Lei now.
He’d basically been walking with Ray Lei the whole time, which gave Ray a nice boost to his ego.
"I know Master Lin of Seacrest, and from what I understand—even if the Teenage King of the Ring knelt and begged for forgiveness, Master Lin wouldn’t let him off!"
Ray Lei spoke in a deep voice, though he was really just making things up; he’d barely exchanged three sentences with Master Lin in reality.
"That’s how a real expert should act."
"Exactly. The Teenage King of the Ring is basically courting death—he’s messing with a Pointing-to-Mystery grandmaster. No way Master Lin would let him off easy."
Several girls nodded in agreement.
Ray Lei suddenly changed the subject, shifting his gaze to Evan Lin, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
"So, what do you think—if the Teenage King of the Ring runs into Master Lin of Seacrest, will he die miserably?"
"Will he face him bravely, or will he just slip out of town before they ever meet?"